1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus having an information processing apparatus and particularly, an image forming apparatus, applicable to a printing apparatus, having an information storage apparatus (hard disk drive (HDD)) arranged near the pickup portion to a rotating recording medium for recording and reproducing information.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, the image forming apparatus serving as a printing apparatus is connected to a hard disk drive apparatus (HDD) used as an information storage apparatus having a large amount of storage capacity. In this type of image forming apparatus, printing data are created based on data received from a personal computer (PC) or the like, and these printing data are written and stored in a recording medium capable of rotation in a hard disk drive apparatus (HDD) acting as an information storage apparatus. And printing is executed after reading the information already stored in the recording medium (hard disk medium). Other apparatuses store the printing logs in the hard disk medium for every performance of printing and, in a case where an inquiry concerning the stored printing data or the printing log up to this point is made by a host apparatus such as a PC, read the information stored on the hard disk medium and respond to the inquiry of the PC.
In the information storage apparatus (hard disk drive apparatus (HDD)), the pickup unit that reads and writes information on the rotating circular recording medium (hard disk medium) conducts reading and writing by moving from a standby condition at which it is separated from the recording medium to an access condition at which it is near the recording medium.
If the apparatus receives a shock or vibration during the writing process, however, the pickup unit cannot be held in the proper location to access the recording medium and, in a case where the apparatus suffers a violent shock, there is a danger that the pickup unit may come in contact with the rotating recording medium, causing irreparable damages.
To avoid the problem described above, an apparatus is proposed in which movement of the paper tray is detected by a detection section and, while the paper tray is being put in or taken out, reading and writing of information to the information storage apparatus is restricted (see generally, Japanese Application Publication JA2005-88554).
In the conventional image forming apparatus described above, however, access such as reading and writing of information to the information storage apparatus (hard disk drive apparatus (HDD)) can be restricted only after the detection section has actually detected that the paper tray has been removed. There is therefore the problem that the effect on the access of the hard disk drive apparatus (HDD), caused by the shock at a time where the user pulls out the paper tray, cannot be removed.